December 23, 2013

BAE Systems to add jobs in Fort Worth for South Korea F-16 contract

BAE Systems will add jobs in Fort Worth after the U.S. government finalized a deal with South Korea to upgrade the nation’s fleet of more than 130 F-16s.

The British defense company said today it expects to hire 300 employees to help with the work, which will be done primarily at the company’s west Fort Worth facility. Other sites involved are in Florida, New York, California and Virginia.

Last year, BAE beat out Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of the F-16, for the South Korean contract, which will add updated electronics to the fighter jets. The contract is estimated to be worth more than $1 billion.

A BAE executive told Reuters that the deal would significantly expand its F-16 modernization business, and that the company hopes to add more contracts in Europe and Asia.

BAE Systems is a major supplier to Lockheed Martin on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.